New Bloomfield Elementary gives to Callaway Hills shelter

When the New Bloomfield Elementary Student Council members decided they wanted to help an organization this year by holding a fundraiser, they decided to look locally.

“We wanted to donate to some place local, so the students could see the benefits,” said advisor Penny Beck. “So instead of sending off a donation, we found someone in our hometown.”

That organization was Callaway Hills Animal Shelter. Owner Toni Wheldon said the donations will really help the shelter.

“Any amount of money is appreciated,” she said. “Especially for kids, this is a generous amount for them to raise. We can put it in the general fund, but we have a couple of animals now that need spayed or neutered, so this will help a lot.”

Wheldon was surprised by the donation.

“It was very touching that they thought of us,” Wheldon said. “I’ve never heard of anybody doing this before. It was very nice. I don’t know which faculty or kid thought about us, but somebody had to. I think a lot of people forget about us because we’re so hidden.”

Wheldon heads the no-kill shelter which has nearly 75 animals. Many of the animals are older.

The school held an ice cream sundae lunch with the proceeds going to the animal shelter. From that, $288 was raised.

Then, the school had people bring in donations of animal food, toys and other items. They ended up with nine boxes packed full of items for the shelter.

“The kids were very excited. The animal shelter brought in pictures, so the kids could see the animals they were going to help,” Beck said. “The winning class got a puppy chow party, so whoever donated the most got a fun prize out of it, too.”

Beck was pleased with the items the school donated.

“I was absolutely happy. Even for the kids who brought in a cat toy or half a bag of food, it was exciting to see their enthusiasm for this.”

Wheldon found the donation touching.

“It’s particularly touching for me, because the two things I like best in life are kids and dogs,” she said. “It couldn’t get any better than this right now.”